Found in France, I am unsure if it's French or Italian carved wood, or originated with the Black Forest carvers of Switzerland. What I'm certain of is it's one of the most gorgeous cabinets we've had or offered and definitely the largest cigar cabinet, server or chest we've ever seen. The cabinet is 23.5" tall, 15.5" widest and over 9" in depth. The door opens smoothly to show 10 slide-out trays, each of which hold 12 cigars for a total of 120. Beneath the trays is a drawer for accessories, pipes or pouches of tobacco. I hear Pen collectors look for these old cigar chests to house their collection, but I can see it loaded with shelves of portrait miniatures, other smalls like jewelry or micro mosaics. Still, it was created as a cigar cabinet. Full measurements noted on the photos.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. Dates to mid-1800s, found in France. It's quite remarkably unscathed for years and for a carved chest. I can see a slight variation in height of the 2 side top ornaments, though it doesn't seem one has been broken so it's been carved nicely if so. There is a tiny chip at the very top of the center top ornament (fronton), and I can note evidence of a broken leg which has been very solidly and well-restored. The place you will see it is below the door when it is fully open, a place missing a bit of wood. It's possible the hinges have been changed out over time. It's got all of the little tray pulls, though some have been chipped off - see photos. It appears to have a working lock but we do not have the original key at listing time. We'll check our stash of extra keys and if we can match one, we'll annotate the listing and raise the price accordingly. Beautiful from both sides and front. Just exceptionally rare and beautiful!
